MG ZS Essence, a five seat SUV

Everyone has a soft spot for MG, the cool British car company who made that uber-cool MG convertible, remember them? ‘Course you do. Only now MGs are not made in Europe anymore. The company’s been bought out by one of the world’s largest car manufacturers in China.

The MG ZS is a five seat SUV that retails for around $23,990 so is on the cheaper end of the scale for what I thought an MG would retail for. But, new owners, new direction.

The exterior design is one of the best in its class and provides sophistication in a compact SUV that delivers style-wise.

Then there’s that MG logo which hasn’t changed a bit and I love that you flip it to open the boot. Points.

Inside looks good on first glance, but peer a bit closer and you’ll see where they have budgeted on finishes to get the price down. The doors and dash are a tad plasticky. There is a huge sunroof which you won’t see in this price range anywhere else though.

When I first got in to drive, the car lurched forward a few times before it actually took off. This didn’t happen again the whole week but I wouldn’t want to have to suddenly change lanes and not be able to guarantee the car would do what I asked.